The Name of This Book Is Secret (2007)
About This Book
A narrator who refuses to tell you anything teams up with two kids investigating a dead magician's mysterious box, a sinister spa owner obsessed with immortality, and a secret so dangerous the author keeps trying to stop you from reading. Bosch breaks the fourth wall constantly, warning you to put the book down, redacting key details, and arguing with his own characters. The mystery itself is genuinely compelling, but the real pleasure is the narrator's escalating panic about how much he is revealing.
Why It's a Classic
Pseudonymous Bosch (itself a pen name wrapped in a mystery) invented a new kind of children's novel by making the act of reading into a game between author and audience. The unreliable narrator device, borrowed from literary fiction and deployed with manic energy, turns every page into an interactive experience where readers must decide what to believe and what is misdirection. Beneath the postmodern playfulness, there is a surprisingly solid mystery involving real concepts from alchemy and synesthesia, grounded by two protagonists whose loneliness and intelligence make them easy to root for. The book proved that experimental, self-aware fiction could work for middle grade readers without ever talking down to them.
Fun Fact
The author's real name is Raphael Simon, and he chose the pseudonym Pseudonymous Bosch as a reference to the surrealist painter Hieronymus Bosch. The synesthesia that one character experiences, where sounds produce colors and smells have textures, is a real neurological condition that Bosch researched extensively. Simon previously worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood before turning to children's books.
Parent Note
The villains are involved in kidnapping and some mild menace, but the narrator's comedic tone keeps the tension from becoming too intense. The book's self-referential style appeals strongly to certain readers and bewilders others, so it is worth sampling the first chapter to see if the voice clicks.
Quick Facts
- Year
- 2007
- Type
- 📚 Book
- Category
- Mystery
- Age Group
- Tweens (Ages 11–13)